PREPARE FOR THE MAIN EVENT

AS WE CRUISE STEADILY towards the longest day on 21 June, the garden is buzzing with activity. Spring flowering bulbs and shrubs are falling back, soon to be overtaken by summer displays in all their wondrous and vivid glory.

As with every seasonal shift, there is tidying up to be done. As a gardener, it has become second nature to me to use these waypoints of seasonal change to take a long, hard look at where I am – not just in the day-to-day tasks of planting, weeding and developing gardens, but in my life. There is always something that would benefit from a bit of extra attention.

This is a wonderful time of year to draw on the energy around you – longer days and warm weather – to push forward with projects that you have put on the back-burner. Reinvigorate yourself and look to the future with enthusiasm and hope. It’s also a good time to prune back any bad habits.

Long, hot summer days will come, full of lazy heat and relaxation but, for now, it’s industrious activity! Open the windows and blow away the cobwebs; get outside and focus on your goals, fitness and wellbeing.

This is your final opportunity to get plants in the ground before the summer heat begins in earnest. Empty spaces are apparent now, so it’s time to fill in the gaps. With increasing social opportunities, maybe it’s time to review any voids in your own life too. What do you need to imbue your reality with colour and beauty?

Draw some encouragement and inspiration from the recent growth spurt in nature. Everything is lush and green, boosted by the April showers, and the grey winter seems like a distant memory. The gardens are on the brink of their finest hour.

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